SIERRA LEONE: AGRICULTURE:
Smallholder farmers encouraged to trade

5/10/2012 5:20:33 AM
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LAMBAYAMA - The eastern Sierra Leonean community of Lambayama is finally waking up to the reality that they can farm rice for both self sustenance and for trade to make an income. This is part of the country’s government plan called the Smallholder Commercialisation Programme (SCP) that is trying to put local farmers back in control of the country’s most-consumed crop. - Increasing local rice production not only helps keep prices more stable, but also promotes national food security. Agriculture contributes about 50 percent to the country’s GDP and employs over 75 percent of the national work force. Still, most of the small farming in Sierra Leone is for sustenance – the farmers who produce it consume it or trade it without much money ever changing hands. The SCP is trying to change the way farmers operate in three ways: by mechanising production, organising individuals, and promoting business. Through the programme, farmers are given seeds, machines, fertilisers, and training. The goal is to increase the crop yield and provide mechanisms that facilitate selling the product on the market. (END/RADIO BULLETIN EDITOR/2012)

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